Our proposal for a Center for Translational Research in Human Immunology and Biodefense gathers investigators from different backgrounds, yet unified through their interest in the biology of Dendritic Cells. As we planned this Center, we identified experts that we thought would synergize to provide the best possible program on the topic of Human Dendritic Cells and in vivo Immunity to Biothreat. This Center is expected to be an integral component of the larger Network of Centers that are expected to contribute complementary expertise. Thus, the Network Centers' expertise should broadly encompass the fields of Human Immunology and Biodefense. Given the breadth of the topic, we should expect to identify gaps in the repertoire of collective expertise. It will be the objective of these Pilot Projects to fill these knowledge gaps and to expand the discoveries made in the Center. In doing so, we are hoping to attract to the field of Human Immunology investigators who have proven to be outstanding contributors to Basic Immunology and possibly to other fields as it applies to Technology Development. The five years of the Center Cycle will permit us to support up to ten Pilot Projects. These projects will be financed for up to two years. Though the Center's Director is ultimately responsible for the proper use of the Center's resources, the Center's Steering Committee will play a critical role in the initiation and follow-up of each of these Pilot Projects. It is proposed that each Pilot Project will be overseen/chaperoned, from inception to completion, by two of the Center's Investigators.